Game apparatus



J. W. MCLEOD GA'ME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. H, 1919.

1,365,712, Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

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John W N LGOQ",

l. W. McLEOD.

GAM APPARATUS. APPLICATION mzu' um. n. 1919 1,365,712, Patented Jan.18,1921.

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JQHN' W. MOLEOD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1921.

Application filed October 11, 1919. Serial No. 329,936.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN W. MCLEOD, a citizenof the United States, and residing at New York, in the county of NewYork and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a motioneither rolling or pitching while at sea; and theobject of the inventionis to provide an improved mounting or support for tables of the classspecified which is designed to keep the table in a horizontal positionat all times regardless of the position of the ship or other support inconnection with which it is mounted; a further object being to providean improved floor or platform construction which cooperates with thetable and which is mounted in such manner asto retain a horizontalposition regardless of the position of the ship or other support uponwhich or in connection with which it is mounted; and with these andother objects in view the invention consists in an apparatus of theclass and for the purpose specified, constructed and operating ashereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate partsof my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters ineach of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a floor ordeck of a ship showing my improved billiard table and supplemental flooror platform mounted in connection therewith;

Fig. 2 a partial section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 a partialsection on the line of Fig. 2; and,

Fig. 4 a. partial section on the line 4- 1 of Flg. 2.

In the drawing I have indicated at 5 a part of a deck or floor of a shipwhich is cut out to form a large rectangular and elongated aperture 6below which the ship is provided with a compartment of chamber I. At 8 Ihave shown a supplemental floor or platform, at 9 a billiard orpool'table and at 10 a standard or support for the supplemental floor orplatform 8 and table 9.

The support 10- comprises a base 11 securely mounted in connection withthe bottom of the chamber 7 and provided with an upwardly directedportion 12, the top of which is forked as shown at 13 in Fig. 4 of thedrawing. through the forked end of the support 10 is a pm or shaft 14:.Mounted on the shaft 141 between the separate parts of the forked end ofthe support 10 is a frame 15 provided with a central bearing 16 whichpermits of the free rotation of said frame on the shaft 14. The frame 15is provided with oppositely directed arms 17 having reduced trunnions 18which pass through bearings 19 mounted in brackets 20 secured to thebottom face of the table 9. The mounting of the arms 17 in the brackets20, as above set out, permits of the transverse rotary movement of thetable 9 on the frame 15, or a rotary movement of said frame in atransverse plane in the brackets of said table, and this movementcombined with therotary movement of the frame 15 on the support 10 formsa universal connection of the table 9 with the support 10 as will beapparent.

The table 9 is provided with a sheet metal inclosing hood 21, which issecured to the bottom face of the table and is designed to inclose theframe 15 and the various parts Passed transversely connected therewithwithin said hood, and

said hood also passes downwardly through and operates in a centralcircular aperture 22 in the supplemental floor or platform 8, as clearlyshown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. The hood 21 is also preferably provided withfour downwardly directed extensions 23 arranged at right angles to eachother and preferably at an angle of forty-five degrees to thelongitudinal and transverse plane of the table 9, and weights 24: aremounted in connection with said extensions and serve to balance thetable 9 or hold the same at all times in a horizontal position. It will,therefore, be seen that if the ship 5 as well as the support 10 mountedin connection therewith should pitch, either forwardly or the billiardor pool balls on the table or any other game devices that may be used inconnection therewith.

I also preferably support the supplemental door or platform 8 in thesame manner as the support of the table 9 and in accomplishing thisresult I employ a supplemental frame member 25 which is provided with acentral yoke shaped portion 26 provided with an upwardly directed forkedportion 27 through which the shaft 1% passes as clearly shown in Fig. l.The supplemental frame member25 is provided with oppositely directedarms 28, the free ends of which are provided with trunnions 29 whichpass through bearings mounted in brackets 30, secured to the bottom ofthe supplemental floor 8 as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3. From theforegoing will be seen that the supplemental frame member 25 is free tooscillate on axes arranged at right angles to each other, whereby thepitching of the ship 5, or the rolling movement thereof, will not beimparted to the supplemental floor 8.

A sheet metal guard 31 is secured to the bottom of the floor 5 of theship and extends downwardly into the chamber 7 to a slight extent toprevent parties from being caught between the floor 5 and thesupplemental floor 8 in the pitching or rolling movements of the ship.The supplemental floor 8 is held in a horizontal position bybalanceweights 32 mounted in semi-circular holders 33 secured to thebottom face of the supplemental fioor 8, preferably in the mannerindicated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4: of the drawing.

It will be apparent that the weights 32 will be sufficient to support apredetermined number of players or parties on the supplemental floor 8without moving said supplemental floor out of a horizontal position toany great extent. I also preferably employ two spiral springs 3l3t,which are connected with'the bottom face of the suppplemental floor 8adjacent to, and centrally of, the short sides thereof, and thesesprings are also connected with the bottom of the chamber 7, and theobject of these springs is to prevent or limit the pitching movement ofthe supplemental floor 8 should a party or parties accidentally jump orfall upon the supplemental floor at the side portions thereof, where thesprings 34 are connected therewith, which would cause a sudden downwardmovement of the supplemental floor.

For the purpose of making the description above set out clear, it mustbe understood that the table 9 and supplemental floor 8 are arrangedlongitudinally of the ship, or the long sides of said table andsupplemental floor are in a plane parallel with a longitudinal plane ofthe ship, while the other sides are in a plane parallel to a transverseplane of the ship. Thus when the ship pitches either forwardly orbackwardly, the frame 15 and supplemental frame member 25 willcorrespondingly rotate or oscillate on the shaft 24, while in therolling or lateral movement of the ship said frames will rotate in thebrackets 21 and 31.

With my improved mounting for billiard tables, pool tables and the likeas well as the mounting for the supplemental floor or platform 8, thedesired game may be played without interference, or without experiencingany diiliculty, whatever, regardless of the movement of the ship, itbeing understood that the weighi's 2 lwill be sullicient to withstandthe weight of the body of a player resting thereon at any particularpoint without materially aii'ccting the position of the table. It willbe understood that my invention is not necessarily limited to themounting of billiard tables in the manner set out, nor is the inventionlimited to the particular apparatus in connection with which the gametable is mounted, and various changes in and modifications of the dostails of construction herein shown and described may be made, within thescope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of myinvention or sacrificing its advantages.

It will also be apparent that in the accompanying drawings I haveexaggerated the size of the supports of the table and platform, but thisis done merely to clearly illustrate the various bearings employed and,in practice, all of the parts of the apparatus will be made inproportionate sizes and of the required length.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is 1- 1.. An apparatus of the class describedcomprising a table, a support, means for universally connecting saidtable with said support, means for holding said table normally in ahorizontal plane, a platform cooperating with said table, means foruniversally supporting said platform, and means for normally holdingsaid platform in a horizontal plane.

An apparatus of the class described comprising a table, a support, meansfor universally connecting said table with said support, balance-weightsfor normally holding said table in a horizontal plane, a platformcooperating with said table, means for universally supportin saidplatform, and balance-weights for normally holding said platform in ahorizontal plane.

3. An apparatus of the class described 1 comprising a table, a support,means for universally connecting said table with said support,balance-weights for normally holding said table in a horizontal plane, aplatform cooperating with said table, means ill! l l. I)

for universally supporting said platform, balance-weights for normallyholding said platform in a horizontal plane, and tensional meansconnected with said platform and with a stationary support.

4. In a game apparatus for use in connection with ships, a table, a suport mounted in connection with the ship, a frame rotatably mounted inconnection with said support and said table whereby said table isuniversally mounted on said support, a platform cooperating with saidtable, a supplemental frame rotatabl connected with said support andsaid plat orm whereby said platform is universally mounted in connectionwith said support and balanceweights for normally holding said platformin a horizontal plane.

5. In a game apparatus for use in connection with ships, a table, asupport mounted in connection with the ship, a frame rotatably mountedin connection with said support and said table whereby said table isuniversally mounted on said support, a platform cooperating with saidtable, a supplemental frame rotatably connected with said support andsaid platform whereby said platform is universally mounted in connectionwith said support, balance weights for normally holding said platform ina horizontal plane, and spiral springs connected with said ship and withsaid platform.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed byname in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 9th day of Qctober1919.

JOHN W. MoLEOD. Witnesses:

C. E. MULREANY, H. E. THOMPSON.

